Armed home invaders rob Athens man, apparently try to abduct young son

Monday

Apr 29, 2013 at 12:01 PM

Joe Johnson @JoeJohnsonABH

An Athens man was playing a video game with his 8-year-old son Saturday night when two masked men kicked in the door of his Kenwood Drive home and robbed him of cash and a cellphone, Athens-Clarke police said.

The robbers were dressed all in black, and were armed with semiautomatic pistols, police said.

One of the robbers appeared as though he tried kidnapping the young boy, who managed to get away, according to police.

The man and his son were on a living room couch playing an online video game shortly before 11:20 p.m. when the front door was kicked in, police said. While one masked intruder went to the rear of the couch, the other faced the father and both robbers pointed their guns at him.

One suspect searched the man's pockets and took a wallet containing $700 and a cellphone, police said.

One of the robbers grabbed the victim's son by the shoulders and led him toward the front door, but the boy managed to get away, according to police.

"(The victim) described the ordeal as a quick snatch," police said.

At the time of the home invasion, the father and son were playing an online game called "Zombies" along with another man participating from his home on Pinefield Way, police said. That man said the game was interrupted when he heard the victim say, "No, this is all I got. My son's here. Please, no," according to police. He rushed to the Kenwood Drive residents to give police a statement.

The suspects only stole what they found on the victim and did not search the home, police said.

The victim's son told officers that after one of the robbers grabbed him and led him to the door, "he somehow managed to free himself from the hold and went upstairs," woke up a woman who was sleeping, and was crying while describing what had happened, police said.

Both suspects were described as black males about 6 feet tall, weighing between 200 and 215 pounds, police said. In addition to jumpsuits and masks, they wore black gloves.